Windows 7 Classic Start Menu

You can assign your own saved pictures as your desktop background and not be stuck with the default solid blue desktop in the Classic mode. Whichever pictures you have assigned as desktop rotate similar to a screen saver. COOL!!!

djwayne said:

I don't like it... the classic look just reminds of Windows '98 and all the problems I had with that. I'm glad to be done with it. I'll take XP, Vista, or Windows 7 any day over the W'98 look. ugggg.

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Sorry, but Win98 was the best Windows there is, seriously. It was a good solid stable OS, which XP barely improved on. I'd take '98 over XP anyday.

Bryce said:

Classic Theme is just hot, who can't not like it?
I did figure out how to get the classic theme back though. If you right click on the desktop and click personalize and go to themes. It's under the high contrast themes. It's not exactly like the original classic theme, but good enough.

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Thanks Bryce.
and btw I agree with you. Classic Theme is just hot, who can't not like it?
But that's our opinion. Others may have different views

Sorry, but Win98 was the best Windows there is, seriously. It was a good solid stable OS, which XP barely improved on. I'd take '98 over XP anyday.

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Ok Bryce i just want you to explain something. If windows 98 was the best os ever then how could xp improve upon it. That would make XP the best OS ever since it improved on 98. I dont really care though just thought i would point that out. Also most computer geeks i know which is literally hundreds at caterpillar prefer the new style compared to the old one. But as stated earlier prefernce is a personal opinion and i respect that. That is why i have been trying to work with reghckr to make the classic start menu available to the all in windows 7. Hopefully we successfully complete it.

Being bi - using best of two worlds:
• Windows 7 start menu with "last opened programs" and "jump lists" AND
• "Classic menu emulation"

(Excuse me for my bad English)

• Right mouse click on taskbar -> symbol bar -> new symbol bar
• Point to: C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Startmenu\Programs
• Right mouse click on taskbar -> unlock taskbar
• Right mouse click in taskbar on dotted delimiter -> disable "Show text" and disable "Show title", enable "Big symbols"
• Right mouse click in taskbar on dotted delimiter -> Open folder
• Choose a link and change icon; e.g. change "Send feedback" link into green symbol out of c:\windows\ehome\ehres.dll
• Drag dotted delimiter to the left till changed icon appears
• Drag changed icon to the most left position
• Drag dotted delimiter to the right till only one icon remains
• Drag left dotted delimiter beneath the start button to the right site till new symbol bar suddenly jumps to the left.
• Drag dotted delimiter to the left till only one icon remains
• Right mouse click on taskbar -> lock taskbar

Open Windows Explorer.
Move all links and folders from:
C:\User\[Name]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Startmenu\Programs
to:
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Startmeni\Programs
(Because first folder includes the "User menu" links while second folder includes "All user menu" links)

See here: Link Removed

Very good trick!.

You can also change the theme to Windows Basic and you'll see the old Start Button,

However the New Start menu does not change.

I''m going to change it back to the default, run my registry capture program and see if value were modified in the registry.

I'm trying to get just one folder to appear and that would be the Programs folder itself

davehc said:

Hi guys.
For the title, if you visit the Technet forums, you will see that it looks very much as though MS will reintoduce the Classic as an option.

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That's amazing news! But when I go to the technet forums, I do not see any posts, in any of the forums. Even if I click on one of the, "last posts," I get zip.

Anyone that wants a classic start menu emulator for windows 7 try Link Removed - Invalid URL. Basiccally it gives you back your branching off menus and takes away some of the graphics in the new one. I have attached a screenshot of what it does. Im sure if you know coding you can figure out how they made the program and rewrite it to fit ur own needs.

A bit off topic, but in answer to reghakr's question about Vans in the 70's (and beyond); my answer is an emphatic YES.

Yea, I guess they should have an off topic forum. I purchased this brand new in 1976. Has molded in taillight, molded flairs, 10: deep Cragar, with 50 series tires on the back, and a bumper from a 1976 El Camino. Solid oak running boards also.

I went to one fan fest in Kentucky with 7, 600 other vans.

Another shot in attached pictures:

Hey hey, I had one of those Red Chevy vans myself, I bought new in either 1977-78....I don't remember. Before that I had a couple of Ford Econoline vans that I had all fixed up.

I'm driving a 2003 Ford Ranger XLT now days.

iroken22, I tried the start menu that you gave us the URL for and it is a really nice piece of work. I will like it very much when I get a bit more familiar with it. How do you like my current desktop?

ghedberg said:

Why do you think the Classic Menu for Office 2007 is so overwhelmingly popular?

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Because people don't like change and having to relearn something that were used to using without thinking about it. Unfortunately once you change the UI you move for a time into what's known as conscious competence. this means you know how to do something but have to thing a little harder about acomplishing it. Once you get used to the new UI you them move onto unconscious competence. (where you can do something without thinking about it)

The main drawback from this sort of change is people don't have as much time to learn things again. This causes frustration and the standard "I like it the old way". There is nothing to say the old way was better its just what you were used to.
At our company we are implementing and have licensed the Ribbon for our new software. Based on user feedback we have had lots of negative response - until it was pointed out we were doing the same thing in the current UI in a slightly different way. (even having to show a side by side comparison). Once they got over that initial oh my god its different I cant use it phase the feedback was nothing but positive. I found Office 2007 hard to use to start with (the same with 7) but am happy now and can do everything I need as quickly as before.

Lol

To all of you you argue against this new menu and stuffs: Look its new and sure it is a little "fluffy" but it was made and REDESIGNED(the whole thing) for windows 7, and that includes preformance not just asthetics. Basically there are three choices:
1.Deal with it
2.Stay with XP, Win95 whatever classic is with(this will be soon obsolete so better switch now than later
3. Get a mac(thats even worse because it geared to look cool for poeople in there 20's

pbel, one does not have to just "deal with it". The complete classic interface is not only available with the exception of the start menu itself, but it is all customizable to an extent that it has never been before. iroken22 has given the URL (on page 9 of this thread) to a start menu with a look and feel very similar to the classic UI. So you can change your No. 1 option to something like "switch to classic look", rather than "deal with it". So you see, it is a simple matter to make everybody happy.

Stop bashing Classic mode and people who use them

Now, I have read many of the comments, granted there are Zealots on both sides those who are for classic mode and those who are not in favor of classic mode and like the "child-like fisher price mode".

Now, taking that all aside, what many of your classic mode haters don't take into account is productivity of the end user, I work in installing Windows based products for MANY government users and organizations and all of them use classic mode, why because it allows their employees to be more productive, this has been benched mark (one of the few uses of tax dollars I agreed in) and it was found that people who had classic desktop was able to be more productive at work that those who has the "fisher price" desktop. That is why many government systems have GPOs or customized installs that default to classic mode.

Classic mode may be old, but there is no legitimate reason not to keep it, or update it, some of you who commented, "JUST LEARN IT" okay fine, are you going to pay for man hours needed for my employees (assuming I am business owner) to learn the new interface when they are use to classic? Are you going to pay me for my losses in revenues and productivity? I believe you would answer "no". Hence keep Classic mode, let users decide what they want.

Now I don't see a reason why it can't be a downloadable "add-on" for those who want classic mode could goto Mircrosoft downloads and install it, that way both sides are happy.

Another case in point, many have posted that classic is slower than the new interface, I would like to see some evidence on this, I have personally ran benchmark tests with Darper, MITRE and AFRL and have seen that in fact Classic mode is a faster interface in performance and speed. So where is everyone's evidence or test results proving that classic mode is slower???

Spartan said:

Now I don't see a reason why it can't be a downloadable "add-on"

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I don't see any reason why downloading it. In Vista it was there. Default in Vista was the new start menu. That's OK. Many of new user, who haven't used a PC before, like the new start menu. But in Vista you could switch to the classic start menu. Why do not the same thing in Windows 7?

In Windows so many parts are configurable: Colours, Themes, list and detail view in Windows Explorer, show hidden and system files or not, and so on. Why not also the start menu style?

I agree with you 100%,
I was trying to suggest a compromise
But I would much rather it be part of the base install personally.

unawave said:

I don't see any reason why downloading it. In Vista it was there. Default in Vista was the new start menu. That's OK. Many of new user, who haven't used a PC before, like the new start menu. But in Vista you could switch to the classic start menu. Why do not the same thing in Windows 7?

In Windows so many parts are configurable: Colours, Themes, list and detail view in Windows Explorer, show hidden and system files or not, and so on. Why not also the start menu style?

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Another case in point, many have posted that classic is slower than the new interface, I would like to see some evidence on this, I have personally ran benchmark tests with Darper, MITRE and AFRL and have seen that in fact Classic mode is a faster interface in performance and speed. So where is everyone's evidence or test results proving that classic mode is slower???

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The conclusion i came to with my benchmarking results showed that when on a lower end computer classic mode was faster while on high end machines the new start menu is faster. So it is all based on the hardware someone is running. So yes in some cases the classic is faster and in other cases the new start menu is faster. Benchmarks really cannot be used to compare the two start menus though. It also depends on the person. Personally i take 3/4 the time of completing my tasks by switching to the new start menu. Other people are faster with the classic start menu. People just think that everything is based on benchmarking and they are wrong. almost 99% of the comparison should be based on the user not what a damn program says is faster.

iroken22 said:

People just think that everything is based on benchmarking and they are wrong. almost 99% of the comparison should be based on the user not what a damn program says is faster.

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Actually, I started my post making this point, when I talk about productivity and given the fact that end users test results have shown (at least for users working within the government) were more productive with classic than "fisher price" desktop.

So in a round about way, you have strengthen my argument.....